The present invention generally relates to a retaining element for securing elongate members, such as conduits, to an installation surface.
Generally, long sections of conduit, pipes and/or wiring are secured to walls or other surfaces by means of conventional straps and fasteners. Such installations can be quite time consuming depending upon the length and number of conduit being secured, as well as the configuration and type of installation surface. Certain installation surfaces, such as concrete, require pre-drilling, which adds further time to complete the overall installation. Also, often installations require a number of conduits to be run side-by-side, thus requiring an array of retaining elements and thus extending the installation time further.
Conventional conduit straps generally comprise a simple arcuate member for engaging the conduit and a planar flange for engaging the installation surface. For convenience and to speed-up installation, installers often use one size strap even though different sizes of conduit are being secured. Thus, the radial curvature of the bottom side of a chosen strap will not likely match the outer diameter of all conduits being installed. Also, installers may only have one-size strap available which does not match the outer diameter of any of the conduit being secured. Such an incompatibility between the conduit and the strap can mean that the conduit is not properly secured to the installation surface. Extra effort to properly secure the installation will generally add to the installation time. Further, on more time consuming installation surfaces installers will often use straps that include two separate arcuate portions connected by an intermediate first portion which receives a single fastener. The arched portions of such two-sided straps traditionally have the same curvature. Thus, while reducing the number of fasteners needed for side-by-side conduit installations, these two-sided straps still encounter the incompatibility problem with conduits of varied diameters.
Additionally, while conventional straps may restrain a portion of conduit from completely separating from its installation surface, they do not always prevent axial sliding of the conduit. Thus, if the conduit is pulled or pushed along its length, it can slide out of its installed position.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a retaining member which overcomes the shortcomings found in the art of straps as set forth above while providing improved structural and operating features and making conduit installation easier.